East Hartford Grads Told To Work For Success

A total of 427 students graduated in East Hartford High School's Class of 2015. The graduation ceremony was held Monday at the Bushnell in Hartford.

(MARC-YVES REGIS I | Special to The Courant)

MEAGHAN LATELLA

“I will miss all of you terribly next year,” says East Hartford grad.

HARTFORD — East Hartford High School celebrated its 129th commencement exercises Monday night at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts.

The Class of 2015 was made up of 427 students. Girls donned gold robes and mortarboards while boys wore black.

Seven percent of the graduates will enlist in the military; three percent plan to enter the workforce; 10 percent will enroll in a technical school; and the remaining 80 percent will attend a two-year or four-year college in the fall.

The ceremony began with remarks from Bryan Hall, chairman of the East Hartford Board of Education. Hall invoked the well-known African proverb "it takes a village to raise a child" to describe how many people helped the graduates complete their high school careers.

"The proof is here tonight," Hall said. "We have a packed Bushnell. You do it. You made it. And now, we are at the event where we are going to celebrate it."

Principal Matthew Ryan then introduced the first student speaker of the night, senior class president Stephen Sam.

The theater erupted with cheers and applause as Sam made his way to the podium. He couldn't conceal his smile as he began his address to his classmates. Sam encouraged his peers to go forward in life being bold and ambitious.

"The young men and women sitting before you did not arrive here because they settled for mediocrity," Sam said. "They're here because they strived for excellence."

Next, the class salutatorian, Brandon Vu, took the stage. Vu admitted that his heart was beating a little faster than usual, but that he was still very honored and excited to be given the opportunity to speak at his graduation. He said he had to thank his family, teachers, and friends for helping him get to this point.

"These [people] are my family, my friends, my nest," Vu said. "Without this nest, I would have never made it this far."

Vu concluded his speech with a little pop-culture reference to lighten the mood.

"As the kids like to say these days: 'We started from the bottom and now we are here.'"

The final student to address the audience was the Class of 2015 valedictorian, Shawn Murdzek. Murdzek also turned to humor to remind his friends and family that they were there to celebrate a happy occasion.

"I would like to start by thanking gravity for keeping me down to earth all these years," he said. "I would also like to thank every one of my teachers, coaches, band instructors, and my friends — I will miss all of you terribly next year."

Superintendent Nathan Quesnel then said a few quick words.

"We want to wish you the best," Quesnel said. "We are proud of you, and we are always here."

The last speech of the evening was given by keynote speaker Kevin Wright, a graduate of East Hartford's Class of 1997. Wright attended Tufts University, where he received a bachelor's degree in biology and biotechnology engineering. He is currently a senior researcher at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. Wright encouraged the students to work hard every day and to pursue their passions.

"Success is nothing but a decision," Wright said. "You don't have to wait for [success]. You just have to do it."